The Effects of Family Therapy on Relapse Rates in Bulimia Nervosa Patients

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Abstract

Eating disorders are caused by many factors, not
just the desire to be thin. There are psychological
issues that contribute to the development of eating
disorders, which make them difficult to recover
from. Relapse rates within the first year after
discharge from an inpatient treatment center are
high. Parents often play an important role in the
treatment process of anorexia patients, however
bulimia patients seem less likely to want to involve
their parents. Family therapy has been successful
in patients with anorexia, and if bulimic patients
included their families when seeking treatment, it
may be beneficial. Thirty bulimia patients leaving
an inpatient treatment center were asked to
participate in this proposed study. They were
assigned to 2 groups of 15 people. Fifteen
participants were placed in family therapy and 15
were not. Each patient had a weekly check-up for
a year to see if they had relapsed. This design
tested whether family therapy for 6 months would
reduce the risk of relapse within the first year after
discharge. At the end of the year, the 2 groups
were compared to determine whether individuals in
the family therapy group had a better recovery rate
than the individuals in the non-therapy group.